BUPA CARE WORKER SUSAN DRAPER JAILED FOR ELDER ABUSE
A staff member at a care home who was convicted of mistreating a frail elderly woman with severe dementia by spraying deodorant in her face has been sentenced to four weeks in jail but has been granted bail pending her appeal in Birmingham Magistrates' Court.Susan Draper, 43, from Kingstanding’s Cranehouse Road, was found guilty of abuse towards Betty Boylan, a 78-year-old resident cared for at the Perry Locks Bupa home located on Aldridge Road, Perry Barr.
The incident was uncovered after family members installed a £200 surveillance camera in Mrs Boylan’s room following the discovery of bruises on her body last August.
The footage captured Draper laughing with a colleague as she sprayed Impulse deodorant close to Mrs Boylan’s face.
The immobile and incontinent pensioner was seen pleading for her to be stopped.
Draper, who had worked at the care home for 17 years before she was dismissed, claimed she used the deodorant to help Mrs Boylan smell nice and insisted she had no intention to harm her or anyone else.
When asked during a police interview whether she had made a foolish mistake, she admitted, “God yeah, I have to live with it forever.” The judge, Ian Strongman, sentenced her to jail, stating her actions deserved a custodial sentence to serve as a warning to others in care roles.
During her trial, Draper expressed her affection for her job, mentioning her 17 years of service and her friendships with colleagues.
She was emotional during her testimony, denying ever causing harm to residents and claiming to be loved by many.
However, the judge criticized her attitude as dismissive when dealing with vulnerable patients, despite her protestations of innocence.
The video evidence, recorded secretly by the family, showed Draper spraying the deodorant directly into Mrs.
Boylan’s face, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia and had been at the facility since September 2015.
Mrs.
Boylan now lives with her daughter Bernadette and son-in-law Nigel Jarvis.
After the sentence, Bernadette issued a statement urging the public to report negligent carers, saying, “At last justice has been done.” The article also notes that Bina Begum, another staff member at the home, had previously been convicted of mistreating and neglecting Mrs.
Boylan, receiving a 12-month community order and 40 hours of unpaid work.
